Individual Giving

Why Donate to Watermark?

Did you know that only 23% of Watermark’s annual budget comes from ticket sales? Our theatre has 106 seats and we simply could not survive without individual donations from people like you. At Watermark we believe that quality classical theatre, presented up close and personal, is the best way to expose the greatest plays in the English language to our audience.We have kept our ticket prices as low as possible so that a broad range of people can attend. We thank you for your continued patronage of our productions. If you have the means, we would like you to consider being a donor to help us to continue producing the finest professional theatre on the Island. Thank you.

Donate Securities and Mutual Funds through CanadaHelps

A donation of securities or mutual fund shares is the most efficient way to give charitably. CanadaHelps is the largest processor of online security and mutual fund donations in Canada.

The Canada Revenue Agency does not apply capital gains tax on donations of publicly traded securities. Capitals gains are the increase in the value of your securities over the price you paid at purchase.

When you sell your shares for cash, you’re responsible for the tax due on the gain, even if you plan to donate the proceeds from the sale. If you pay the tax out of those proceeds, there’s less money left to donate. Your charity receives a smaller donation and you have a smaller donation to claim for your charitable tax credit at the end of the year.

But when you donate your securities directly through CanadaHelps, those capital gains aren’t subject to tax. This means your charity receives a larger gift, and you’ll benefit from a tax receipt for the full value of your eligible securities or mutual funds.

Here’s an example of how it works.

Let’s say you purchased common shares in ABC Company for a cost of $1,000. If the current market value of those shares has increased to $5,000, you would have a capital gain of $4,000.

If you sell those shares and donate the cash proceeds, you’ll owe tax on the capital gain. So, you set aside the taxes due from the proceeds, leaving you with less than the full cash value to donate and a tax receipt which reflects the smaller donation.

But when you donate the shares directly, you owe no capital gains tax and you’re able to donate the full value. So your charity gets a larger donation and you get a tax receipt which reflects your larger contribution.

By donating shares directly, you can save on taxes while you’re offering more help to the charities you care about most.